July 2022 - How and What??

I may be the worst blogger in the history of blogging. There have been so many changes in 2022 and suddenly it is the 1st of July and we are halfway through the year.

In any event I wanted to provide an update on exciting happenings in the world of sew.be.

1. I opened an online fabric and notion shop. This was meant to be a small side operation, however it quickly morphed into a bigger deal than originally intended and outgrew our home. 

2. I rented a shop front from which to house the sales and provide me with a local teaching space.

3. I’m in the process of setting up that shop and opening it for visitors and students - it’s incredibly exciting and equal parts terrifying. The shop is in Beaumont Street, Hamilton, which is a suburb of the city of Newcastle, Australia. I’m near some lovely cafes and vintage goods stores and hope that if you are local, or pass through, you will want to come and visit! Tentative opening date is the end of July.

4. I’ve designed a new quilt and its a different project for me. There is no needle turn appliqué rather it is an English Paper Pieced quilt. Im in the process of writing the pattern and finishing off my quilt top and I adore it. Its working name is Dreams Happen!

One of the aspects of working by hand on quilts is the time it allows you to appreciate your fabric choices. Each block lets me ohh and ah over the fabrics I have chosen and of course I am loving all the greens in my quilt. At launch, I will have a small number of starter kits available for the quilt including the fabrics I have used, which is exciting.

5. There are lots of new teaching dates for classes with me, and I have updated my website to include the details of where I am teaching. You can find that at the top of my website in the menu. I will add classes at my own shop once I have finished the shop set up!

I particularly want to draw attention to the introduction to English Paper Piecing (EPP) class I will be teaching at Honeysuckle Cottage, Binalong. I’ve created a kit and pattern, perfect for beginners to EPP, and would love to see you at this gorgeous location if you are interested in learning how to EPP. There will be lunch and gorgeous Liberty Betsy, and helpers on hand, so at the end of the class you will have a gorgeous little hexie Betsy pouch, lots of the supplies you need to move forward in your EPP journey, and the skills to start a bigger project!

6. Life is busy. With all that is happening in my stitching world, lots of changes and growth has been happening at home as well. Otto is living his best life, my daughter Emma (for whom the Emma cushion is named) turned 18, bought a car and is about to finish year 12! I swear she as just born a minute ago. My eldest son completed a level 12 recording for Suzuki violin which is just bamboozling to me - he is an amazing violinist and also dresses with significant teen attitude so the contradiction can be surprising when people hear him play. My middle son started high school and it has been an adjustment for us all with an extra school in the mix and watching him navigate a very full extra curricular activity list. We are all looking forward to seeing him perform in a school musical soon, which is not something we even knew he was interested in. 

I hope 2022 is going well for you, and you are enjoying seeing the somewhat disorganized and not well thought out changes that are part of the sew.be happenings.

Bec x

Hexie Betsy Pouch - being taught at Honeysuckle Cottage, Binalong on 13 August 2022.

A couple of blocks from my newest quilt design - tentatively named Dreams Happen.